Gosselin: Keeping defense off the field is critical for Cowboys' playoff hopes

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Dallas running back Sammy Morris (23) runs the ball and escapes from Tampa Bay defensive tackle Roy Miller during the Cowboys-Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011.

TAMPA, Fla. — The Cowboys now know the formula for success as the days grow colder and the games grow bigger this season.

Keep the offense on the field and the defense off.

That’s how the game plan evolved Saturday night against the woefully overmatched Buccaneers. Jason Garrett’s troops were sorely in need of a morale boost after back-to-back upset losses to the Cardinals and Giants that cost them control of the NFC East. The Cowboys got that boost from Tony Romo’s offense, which scored 28 first-half points on the way to a 31-15 victory.

But the old silver-and-blue scrimmages were more competitive. The Bucs have now lost eight consecutive games, their longest losing streak since 1987. They entered the game ranked 29th in the NFL in defense, 31st in points allowed and last in the NFC in sacks — and played down to the level of their statistics.

The University of South Florida would have been a more worthy foe on this field on this night.

The Cowboys put away the Bucs with a brutally efficient first half — their best since the opening 30 minutes against the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 13. The Cowboys scored four touchdowns in five first-half possessions to build a 28-0 lead.

It would be a cushion even a Rob Ryan defense could hold.

Romo threw a touchdown pass to each of his top three wideouts — Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson and Dez Bryant — and also scored himself on a quarterback sneak, his first rushing TD of the season.

The only time the Cowboys didn’t score in the first half came on the only possession in which Romo threw two incomplete passes. He went 18-of-22 in the half for 189 yards to seven different receivers. The new running back combo of Felix Jones and Sammy Morris also chipped in 90 yards on the ground.

Romo mounted drives of 89, 69, 62 and 59 yards for those first-half scores. The Cowboys churned out 19 first downs in controlling the clock for 20 of the 30 minutes. That dominance sent a host of fans in Tampa Bay’s first sellout of the season sprinting for the exits by halftime.

The Cowboys spent the second-half handing the ball off, milking the clock and working on their running game. Jones responded with his second consecutive 100-yard game and third of the season. But unlike the Buffalo game, when the Cowboys continued scoring on the way to a 44-7 rout, the offense managed only a field goal the rest of the way.

The 8-6 Cowboys once again proved they can beat up on the bad teams. The Bucs became the seventh sub-.500 team to find a place in the Cowboys’ win column this season, joining the Bills, Dolphins, Rams, Seahawks and the Redskins twice.

The good teams on the 2011 schedule — the Giants, Jets, Lions and Patriots — all throttled the Cowboys’ defense in the fourth quarter for comeback victories. Garrett can solve that problem as the season winds down by keeping his offense on the field as he did against the Bucs.

The Cowboys held onto the football on offense for nearly 38 minutes Saturday night. Control the ball the next two weeks against the Eagles and Giants and the Cowboys will be postseason bound.